Fire-extinguishing device



R. G. CARPENTER.

FIRE EXTINGUISHING DEVICE.

APPLICAIION FILED MAY 28. 1920.

Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

15. G. 'arpelziei" ATTORNEY WITIBSI/Q UNITED STATES ROBERT G. CARPENTER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

FIRE-EXTINGUISHING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

Application filed. May 28, 1920. Serial No. 385,042.

To. all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT G. CARPENTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire-EX- tinguishing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my present invention is the provision of a fire extinguisher adapted to be automatically put into operation by the action of heat and constructed and arranged to spray the ceiling and walls of a room above and around the device as well as the portion of the room below the device.

The extinguisher is further characterized by the fact that it does not embody packings or rings which when impaired would interfere with the certain operation of the device.

To the attainment of the foregoing, the invention consists in the improvement as hereinafter described and definitely claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, hereby made a part hereof Figure 1 is a vertical diametrical section showing a fire extinguisher constructed in accordance with my invention as thesame appears when in its normal state.

Fig. 2 is a similar View illustrative of the said device after the same is put into operation by the action of heat.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken in the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 1

looking downwardly.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

Among other elements my novel device comprises a receptacle 1 for water, a plunger 2 associated with the receptacle, a fusible element 3 adapted under normal conditions to prevent movement of the receptacle 1 and the plunger 2 with respect to each other, and spring means 4 adapted when the fusible element 3 is melted to move either the receptacle 1 or the plunger 2 with respect to each other or to simultaneously move the receptacle 1 and plunger 2 inwardly. The receptacle 1 is provided, by preference, with a concave bottom 5 in the center of which is an eduction orifice 6, and opposed to the wall of the said eduction orifice is the conical and ground head 7 of a vertical central rod 8. The head 7 is normally secured in the position shown in Fig. 1, and by virtue of the said head being ground and opposed to a ground seat, it will be manifest that I leakage of water from the receptacle 1 will be precluded, and this without the employment of packing which is obviously an important desideratum. At its upper end the rod 8 is connected to the lower end of the plunger 2 which is preferably conical as indicated by 9. The receptacle 1 is provided at its upper end with an inwardly directed flangelo, and on the lower end of the plunger 2 is provide a marginal flange 11; said flange 11 being adapted in the normal state of the device to bear against the flange 10 and thereby prevent evaporation of the water or other liquid in the receptacle 1.

In order to normally hold the plunger 2 against downward movement I provide a retainer 12 which is disposed under the head 7 of rod 8 and is removably supported at one end by a pendent bracket 13 at the bottom of the receptacle 1. The other end of the retainer 12 is connected to the fusible element 3, and said element 3, in turn, is connected with the receptacle 1.

The spring means 4 alluded to may be of any construction compatible with the purpose of my invention without involving departure from the scope of the same as claimed. I prefer, however, to employ a plurality of retractile spring units 4, grouped about the receptacle 1 and the plunger 2, and I prefer to connect the said springs 1 at their ends to brackets 15 at the lower end of the receptacle 1 and brackets 16 at the upper end of the plunger 2. I also prefer to extend rods 17 loosely through the springs 4; the said rods 17 being connected at their lower ends to the brackets 15 and being extended loosely through the brackets 16. At their upper ends the rods 17 are appropriately connected with an eye 18 by means of which the device may be conveniently suspended from the ceiling of a room; the device being positioned at any desired distance from the ceiling.

In the practical use of my novel device sufficient heat in close proximity to the fusible element 3 will have the effect of melting the said element, whereupon the retainer 12 will fall and release the rod 8. Immediately following this, the retraction of the springs 4 will move the plunger 2 downwardly and the receptacle 1 upwardly against the resistance offered by the liquid in the receptacle 1 to the plunger 2. .Coincident with the said movement of the plunger 2 or receptacle 1 or both, water or other liquid will be discharged downwardly from the receptacle 1 through the orifice 6, and at the same time by the action of the flange 11 of the plunger 2 in cooperation with-the receptacle 1, water or other liquid from the receptacle 1 will besprayed against the ceiling and walls of the room.

By reference to the drawing it will further be noted that the plunger 2 is provided at its upper end with a marginal flange 19. From this i't follows that when the plunger Qand receptacle 1 are drawn toget-her by the contraction of the springs 4, liquid will be forced from the receptacle 1 against the concave surface of the flange 19 and outwardly from the device in a circular spray. It will also be appreciated that the diameter of the circular spray will be diininished as the plunger approaches the bottom of the receptacle 1.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. A fire extinguishing device comprising a receptacle for liquid having an inwardly directed flange at its upper end, a plun er movable in the receptacle and having at its lower end a marginal flange'normally hearing against the flange of the receptacle to seal the receptacle, means including a fusible element to normally hold the flange of the plunger against that of the receptacle, and means to bring about movement of tnc receptacle or plunger with respect to the other when the fusible elemenet to said means is melted by the action of heat.

2. In a fire extinguisher, the combination of a receptacle having a central eduction orifice in its bottom and a ground seat about said orifice and also having a pendent bracket on said bottom and further having radial brackets at its lower end and an in wardly directed flange at its upper end; a plunger movable in the receptacle and having a marginal flange at its lower end and a concave flange above said marginal flange, radialbraclrets "on theplunger, rods connected to the radial brackets of the receptacle and extending loosely through the brackets of the plunger and adapted to be suspended from a ceiling, springs surrounding'said rods and interposed between and connected to the radial brackets of the receptacle and the radial brackets of the plunger, a rod connected to the plunger and extending through the orifice in the bottom of the receptacle and having a conical ground head opposed to the ground seat about the eduction opening, a

retainer disposed below the head of the rod I and removably arranged in the pendent bracket of the receptacle, and a fusible element interposed between and connecting said retainer and the receptacle.

3. In a fire extinguisher, the combination of a receptaclehaving an inwardly directed flange, a plunger movable in the receptacle and having a marginal flange at its lower end opposed to the flange of the receptacle and also having a concave marginal flange adjacent to its upper end, means including a fusible element to normally prevent movement of the receptacle or plunger with respect to the other, and means to move the receptacle or plunger with respect to the other when the fusible element is melted.

In testimony whereof I aflix nay-signature.

ROBERT G. CARPENTER. 

